Bernese Oberland · valley of 72 waterfallsLauterbrunnen

What Lauterbrunnen is – and why almost everyone changes here

The Lauterbrunnen valley is a glacial trough with vertical walls. Jungfrau Railways and the tourist board call it the valley of 72 waterfalls; the number comes from them, and we did not find an official count. What is certain: you do not have to go looking for any of them. The best known, the Staubbach Falls, stands directly above the village.

For most people, though, Lauterbrunnen is first of all a station. The Bernese Oberland Railway from Interlaken ends here, the cog railway to Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg starts here, and from the Lauterbrunnen (cable car) station you go up to Grütschalp towards Mürren. If you are heading for the Jungfraujoch and take the route via Wengen, you change here.

From Interlaken Ost

22 minutes, every 30 minutes, no change. Return CHF 15.60 – Swiss francs, not euros (jungfrau.ch price calculator, travel date 28 September 2026).

From Zurich HB

2:25 hours, with the train on the hour only one change at Interlaken Ost (SBB timetable, 29 September 2026).

By car

Wilderswil exit, then up the valley. Lauterbrunnen is the end of the road: you can only reach Wengen and Mürren by rail.

Staubbach Falls: the waterfall above the village

Lauterbrunnen Tourism gives the height of the drop as around 297 metres and calls it the highest free-falling waterfall in Switzerland; Jungfrau Railways rounds it up to 300 metres. It inspired Goethe to write his “Song of the Spirits over the Waters”. Neither source mentions an admission price: the falls stand in plain view above the village, and a made-up path leads right to the foot.

From there a path leads up to the Staubbach gallery, where you see the spray at close quarters. According to the operator it is open from May to October; the path is only open in summer. The Staubbach carries the most water in spring and early summer, when the snow melts. In winter it not infrequently freezes to ice.

Honestly: Outside the snowmelt the Staubbach carries considerably less water – in the photo above it is a thin veil. If you expect thundering water in late summer, the Trümmelbach Falls are the better bet: from June to September they are fed by glacier melt.

Another one is higher still, by the way: Jungfrau Railways gives the Mürrenbach Falls as 417 metres.

Trümmelbach Falls: ten waterfalls inside the mountain

The Trümmelbach Falls are the counterpart to the Staubbach: not high and quiet but narrow and loud. Ten glacier waterfalls plunge through a gorge inside the mountain, made accessible by a tunnel lift. The Trümmelbach alone drains the glacier walls of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau – a catchment area of 24 square kilometres. During the melt, according to the operator, up to 20,000 litres per second thunder through the rock. The name comes from the sound: Trümmelbach means drum stream. The falls have been accessible since 1877.

You get there on the PostBus from Lauterbrunnen station: seven minutes to the Trümmelbachfälle stop, every 30 minutes. By car it is around three kilometres beyond the village.

Honestly: Children under four and dogs are not allowed in for safety reasons. And at the start and end of the season the operator itself asks you to enquire about opening times beforehand – do not just turn up on the off chance in April or early November. From December to March only a trickle flows under ice anyway.

What is worth booking in the valley – and what isn't

For Lauterbrunnen itself you do not need to book anything: you see the Staubbach Falls from the village, you pay for the Trümmelbach Falls at the till, and train tickets are sold at the ticket office. Guided “Lauterbrunnen tours” from Interlaken cost over €200 for something you do on your own with a CHF 15.60 train ticket. Two flights, on the other hand, cannot be organised yourself – and for the Schilthorn the ticket is also available in advance.

Honestly: Flights only go ahead in suitable weather, and the ride up to Mürren comes on top. Don't book anything for your last day in the valley – leave yourself room to postpone.

Honestly: This flight takes off near Interlaken, not above the Lauterbrunnen valley. It is the most reviewed in the region and €20 cheaper – but if it is the waterfalls you are after, it is the wrong one.

Honestly: The operator charges CHF 115 for the same route – so you have no price advantage with Tiqets. With a Half Fare Card you pay CHF 57.50 at the till; Tiqets knows neither the Half Fare Card nor the Swiss Travel Pass. And according to the provider the Tiqets ticket cannot be cancelled: only buy it once the weather forecast is settled.

A day in Lauterbrunnen – how we would plan it

• Morning: by train from Interlaken Ost, 22 minutes. On foot through the village to the Staubbach Falls, in summer up to the gallery.
• Midday: by PostBus in seven minutes to the Trümmelbach Falls (CHF 18).
• Afternoon: one terrace higher – to Wengen (11 minutes) or to Mürren (21 minutes).

If you are looking for a view without mountain railway prices instead, you will also find it on Harder Kulm above Interlaken or, with more going on, at Grindelwald First.